


RWBY: Golden-Eyed Eclipse

by SwapAUAnon



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games), RWBY
Genre: Crossover, Crossposted to Spacebattles, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Post-Volume 2 (RWBY), Pre-Volume 3 (RWBY)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:34:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24936118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwapAUAnon/pseuds/SwapAUAnon
Summary: Following the events of Volume 2, Team RWBY was on what was supposed to be a normal mission when they stumbled upon those creatures. Now, it's a fight for the survival of the universe as new enemies emerge from the shadows, and people they thought they could trust turn on them. Meanwhile, the stars are blinking out, and the King's most trusted companions must find out why. (On Indefinite Hiatus Due to Burnout and Harassment)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 1





	1. Prologue: Dive to the Heart

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired, by all things, the "Melody of Memory" trailer. I'm not kidding. I was thinking "What would the RWBY version of Melody of Memory look like" and then I thought "What if I replaced Destiny Islands with Remnant?" and now we're here.  
> ...  
> It's my brain, but even I sometimes struggle to understand how it works.  
> Oh, and you get an internet cookie if you can catch what the title is referencing.

_Weiss stared down the Arma Gigas. She readied Myrtenaster, rotating the Dust Chambers to prepare an Ice Glyph to ensnare and shatter the armored Grimm. Except she was out of Ice Dust. Perhaps she could melt the armor? She was out of Fire Dust. Create a barrier to deflect it's next attack and disarm it? Out of Hard Light Dust. Perhaps a Gravity Glyph to trap the sword and propel it through the Armor? Out of Gravity Dust. Weiss' breath became more and more frenzied as she realized that all of the Dust Chambers were empty. That's when she noticed the Arma Gigas raising its sword to strike. She moved Myrtenaster to parry, only to realize she was no longer holding the weapon. She jumped back right as the sword dropped, the room shattering to reveal a dark void. The Schnee heiress screamed as she plummeted into the darkness._

* * *

_Weiss pushed herself to her feet, noticing very quickly that she was in the middle of a featureless dark expanse, a bright light shining above but failing to illuminate anything._

" _Just one normal day, it's all I ask," she grumbled as she processed the impossibility of her current scenario. She took a step forward, and a flock of birds flew out of the darkness beneath the heiress' feet. Weiss shrieked and jumped to try and avoid the birds flying out of the ground, until they cleared away to reveal that she was now standing on top of a green and yellow stained glass platform. It depicted a pale-skinned woman in a blue and yellow dress, seven faces surrounding her in circles, the outer ring depicting woodland animals and an older woman._

So much to do, so little time _, a voice announced_ , Take your time. Don't be afraid.

" _Who are you? What do you want?" Weiss asked._

The door is still shut _, the voice replied,_ Now step forward. Can you do it?

_Weiss rolled her eyes and walked into the center of the platform, prompting three podiums to rise out of the ground._

Power sleeps within you _. A shield materialized on one._

If you give it form… _A staff materialized on another._

… It will give you strength. _A sword materialized on the last._

Choose carefully _, the voice concluded._

 _"Choose carefully?" Weiss questioned, "Why can't I just have_ Myrtenaster _back?"_

_The voice didn't respond._

_"Oh well, I guess I'll just have to make do," the heiress sighed as she walked to the staff._

The power of the mystic _, the voice commented,_ Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. Is this the power you seek?

I'll probably only be able to take one _, Weiss thought, "Let me check the others first!" She dashed over to the sword._

The power of the warrior _, the voice commented,_ Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the power you seek?

If the staff focused on inner strength, then it would probably work best with my Semblance _, Weiss thought,_ But the sword would work best for my normal combat techniques _. She walked over to the shield._

The power of the guardian _, the voice commented,_ Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all. Is this the power you seek?

And this would be more suited for Yang _, Weiss mused,_ My fighting style works best when I'm fighting with a group, but I should never try to draw fire unless I'm the only one with unlocked Aura. And when I am on the defensive, blocking hasn't exactly been the smartest move.

_The heiress glanced between the staff and the sword from the center of the room._

_"My Semblance complements my fighting style very well, and I would not have gotten this far without it," Weiss admitted, "But I am not as dependent on it as my sister." She turned towards the sword. "At the end of the day, I'm moving reliant on my weapon for attacking, and simply use my Semblance to enhance those attacks."_

The power of the warrior. _Weiss walked towards the sword._

Invincible courage. _The heiress stepped up to the pillar._

A sword of terrible destruction. _Her left hand reached for the hilt_

Is this the power you seek?

_"Yes," Weiss answered with a swing of her blade._

Your path is set _, the voice replied,_ Now, what will you give up in exchange?

_Weiss glanced between the staff and the shield, then sighed as she made her choice._

The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all _, the voice repeated,_ Do you want to give up this power?

_"If I must," Weiss answered._

_The shield vanished._

You've chosen the power of the warrior. You've given up the power of the guardian _, the voice observed,_ Is this the form you choose?

_"Yes," Weiss answered. The platform shook and cracked, causing the pillars to sink into the seams. Before Weiss had time to question this, the platform shattered beneath her feet, and the Huntress-in-training plummeted into the abyss._

* * *

_The second Weiss had her bearings, she summoned a Glyph beneath her feet to serve as a platform, and noticed that another stained-glass platform was now visible further down. This one was blue and purple, depicting a blue and white woman with portraits depicting castles, a horse, and a carriage surrounding her head, with one more image depicting a crown behind her. The edge of the platform was decorated with the images of a dancing couple, with the Eastern, Southern, and Western most points instead showing a glass slipper._

" _... I feel like I'm missing some context here," Weiss muttered as she materialized more Glyphs to serve as stepping stones until she could safely hope down to the platform itself._

You've gained the power to fight _, the voice started._

" _I've been training to fight for most of my life," Weiss replied, before falling into a familiar stance. She slashed her sword, then delivered two quick jabs to an imaginary foe, "I'm more than meets the eye!"_

All right, you got it!

" _What did I just say?"_

Use this power to defend yourself and others _, the voice instructed._

" _Are you even listening to me?" Weiss asked, before feeling a familiar chill. She whirled around to face a dark blotch that had suddenly formed on the glass, a shadow with no source, and watched as it peeled itself off the ground. It had a large, round head, two twitchy antenna, humanoid hands, a tiny body, and two golden eyes that emitted an eerie glow. "Is that some kind of Grimm?"_

There will be times you have to fight _, the voice explained as two more rose from the ground,_ Keep your light burning strong.

_The first of the three lunged forwards. Weiss jabbed it in what she assumed was the gut, slashed across what she assumed was the chest, and watched as it evaporated while the remaining two sank back into the ground and disappeared._

" _Nowhere near as tough as a Beowolf," Weiss remarked._

Behind you!

_Weiss heeded the voice's warning and whirled around, bisecting the creature that had lunged at her from behind. She glanced around nervously as both halves of the Grimm-like creature evaporated._

" _But you're twice as smart as one to make up for it," she sighed as more creatures rose from the ground around her, "Of course…" She raised a Glyph to block a pounce, then stabbed through the Glyph to impale the creature before it could slide off. One scratched her heel, so she chopped off its antenna and stabbed it between the eyes. The heiress dashed towards the creatures, hacking and slashing through them, sending bits and pieces of the creatures flying into the air as they evaporated. Eventually, she stood alone in the center of the platform, the three remaining creatures sinking back into their shadow forms. But instead of moving to a more tactical position, the shadows blackened and spread, engulfing much of the platform. When the floor beneath Weiss' own feet was engulfed, she swiftly sank into it even as she tried to pull herself free, until the heiress herself was swallowed by the shadows._

* * *

_Weiss bolted awake on a primarily pink platform, depicting three hearts. Each one held the blue silhouette of a feminine figure. One appeared to be wrapped in a cape, another wore a dress, while the last appeared to be wearing poofy pants and a top with equally poofy sleeves. Weiss stood north of the topmost heart, the one with the caped woman, while a door stood opposite of her, between the bottom two hearts, illuminated by a beam of light from above._

" _... If this is a prank, I'm stabbing the responsible party," Weiss declared as she walked towards the door. When she got close, she noticed the door was translucent, and her hand passed through the handle. "Oh for the love of-" a chest materialized where she had been standing before. Weiss marched over to the chest, and tried to open it. It was empty, and faded from existence as soon as she had opened it. "... Stabbing might be too merciful," she decided as she turned around. There was now a large crate between her and the door. Weiss growled, walked up to the crate, and started kicking it. "Oh I bet you think you're SO funny! 'Let's kidnap Weiss in her sleep and lock her in a room full of stained glass and potentially deadly monsters! That'll be comedy gold!' Well I'm! Not! Laughing!" The sword she picked out earlier materialized in her left hand, and rather than question how that worked, Weiss got to work hacking at the crate with it, slashing through the wood by using her sword as a makeshift ax, until nothing but woodchips and splinters remained. "Now if you don't let me out of here this second, I'm going to fight my way out of here and do that to your FACE!" Weiss was not in a good mood, needless to say. Even as the frame of the door turned opaque, and the remnants of the crate rearranged themselves into a barrel._

" _... Professor Goodwitch, did you do that?" Weiss asked._

_She didn't get an answer._

" _... I'll never complain about Ruby's incessant chatter again," Weiss declared as she walked over to inspect the barrel. She poked it with her sword, tried to push it over, then finally attempted lifting it. "Hey, this is lighter than it-" she toppled over under the weight of the barrel, which smashed against the glass and faded from existence, "... Maybe Yang was onto something when she commented on my 'noodle arms'." Weiss sighed, before noticing that the strange door was finally completely opaque. "I wonder if that's important," she pondered as she walked over to the door. The second she reached for the handle, it cracked open, and a blinding light poured out._

* * *

_Weiss blinked her eyes until she could see, at which point she realized she was in the middle of Beacon's cafeteria. Beacon's suspiciously empty cafeteria. The heiress voiced her most immediate and important concern._

" _... How much of the school saw my psychotic episode?"_

_She very clearly had her priorities straight._

The door won't open just yet _, the disembodied voice commented._

" _That doesn't answer my question!"_

First, tell me more about yourself _, the voice continued. It was then that Weiss noticed a familiar face._

" _Yang!" she shouted as she ran over to the blond brawler, "You would not_ believe _the day I've just had!"_

" _What do you want out of life?" Yang asked._

_The heiress paused._

" _... I'm sorry, what?"_

" _What do you want out of life?" Yang repeated._

" _... To be strong," Weiss answered._

" _To be strong, huh?" Yang remarked._

_Weiss backed away slowly, and bumped into Blake._

" _Oh! Sorry Blake, I didn't see you there!" Weiss said to the Faunus, "I think Yang hit her head, she's acting very weird."_

" _What are you afraid of?" Blake asked._

" _... Oh great," Weiss remarked, "It's contagious."_

" _What are you afraid of?" Blake repeated. Weiss considered the question._

" _Being indecisive," the heiress confessed, thinking of all the ways she could make things worse if she wasn't careful with what she did after inheriting the SDC._

" _Is being indecisive really that scary?" Blake asked._

" _... Said the girl who trembles before a corgi," Weiss grumbled as she turned away from the Faunus and came face to face with her partner and leader, Ruby Rose._

" _What's most important to you?" Ruby asked._

" _Friendship," Weiss answered without a moment's hesitation._

" _Is friendship really that important?" Ruby asked._

" _... Is there something you want to tell me, Ruby?" Weiss asked._

You value friendship, you want to be strong, and you're afraid of being indecisive _, the voice summarized,_ Your adventure begins in the dead of night. Your road won't be easy, but a rising sun awaits your journey's end.

" _... Oookay…"_

The day you will open the door is both far off and very near _, the voice remarked as the cafeteria was engulfed in light._

_When the light cleared, Weiss was standing on a mostly orange platform depicting a sleeping woman in a purple dress, holding a rose to her chest Her sleeping form was surrounded by thorns, roses decorating the inner edge, and three fairies were depicted in the circles above her head. A beam of light shone down on the face of the woman._

" _... I'm not aware of any Semblance with reality bending effects like that," Weiss muttered as she walked towards the illuminated part of the platform. The second she stepped into the light, ten of the Grimm-like creatures from before emerged from the ground to surround her. "Oh come on!" Weiss raised her sword to defend herself, only to get knocked off balance when one of the creatures hopped onto her back and clung to her. The heiress stumbled to try and throw off the creature clawing at her aura even as the others tried to trip her up by swiping at her heels. Eventually, Weiss summoned a completely vertical Glyph and slammed her back into it, dissolved the Glyph, then whirled around and decapitated the dazed creature. Another creature lunged at Weiss, and she held out her right hand to block it with a Glyph, before stabbing it through the Glyph, and whirling around to cut down the next three to jump at her. She glanced at the remaining five as they flattened into shadows. "Two can play at that game!" Weiss shouted as she jumped into the air, and then landed on a Glyph in midair. Three creatures emerged, and one slammed its face against the bottom of Weiss' Glyph. The heiress giggled, then jumped when she felt something brush against her heel. She whirled around and stabbed between the eyes of the creature that had managed to jump, cling, and climb onto her platform. As soon as it evaporated, the other three had jumped and clung to the edges. Weiss sliced through their heads and let them fade into vapors, as the creature beneath her slammed against her Glyph a second time. Rolling her eyes, Weiss repositioned herself, pointed her sword over the center of her Glyph, and let her makeshift platform fade away. The creature had already jumped up, only to get impaled on Weiss' blade as gravity did the rest._

_The light shone down on the center of the platform, where a green Glyph formed. It looked very much like one of Weiss' Glyphs, but instead of a snowflake, this one depicted a flower that appeared to be encircled by vines. Weiss walked up to inspect the Glyph, and cautiously held her hand over it. A comforting warmth seemed to radiate from it. Weiss toed the edge of it, and felt her Aura flare to life on contact with it. The heiress jumped back in shock, but as soon as she realized that it had felt invigorating rather than painful, she stepped onto the strange Glyph. Suddenly, it was as if all of the previous battles had never happened. Her Aura had been completely revitalized, and Weiss felt like she could wrestle a Goliath. She quickly squashed that idea when the Glyph beneath her feet faded away, and the light above her head moved off the edge of the platform. Whenever it shined over the void, a small, stained-glass stepping stone materialized in the air, getting higher and higher until a floating staircase led between the platform she was currently on to the top of a pillar that she was 90% sure wasn't there a few minutes ago._

" _Well, at least this time the journey will make sense," Weiss remarked as she walked towards the staircase. She didn't notice that the platform vanished as soon as she stepped onto the staircase, nor that each step also faded from existence as she ascended higher and higher._

* * *

_The newest platform was mostly yellow, depicting a brown-haired woman in a yellow dress. The northernmost point above the woman's head depicted a rose in a glass case, and a strange animal seemed to be standing behind the woman. The rest of the images surrounding the woman's head seemed to be household objects with human faces, and the edges of the platform depicted animals and plants._

" _That's strange," Weiss remarked as she walked into the light, her shadow stretching behind her._

The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes _, the voice warned._

_Weiss glanced over her shoulder, and took a step back as she noticed her now massive shadow peeling itself off the ground, detaching itself from her feet, and morphing into a strange monster. It was top heavy, had muscular arms, clawed fingertips, tentacle-like hair, unusually thin feet, and two piercing golden eyes on its otherwise featureless face._

But don't be afraid _, the voice continued as Weiss backed away from the creature,_ And don't forget…

_Weiss broke into a run to put as much space between herself and the creature as possible, only to skid to a halt as her brain caught up to her flight-or-fight response and realized that there was nowhere to run to. The heiress whirled around to face the giant as it swung back its left arm, energy gathering into its enclosed fist, and threw a punch at the ground. It opened a dark pool, and more of the Grimm-like pests from before emerged from the dark pool._

" _Oh come on!" Weiss shouted as she charged forward, slicing through two of the creatures, before holding up her blade in front of her face when the third pounced and letting physics do the rest. She dashed towards the hand, hacking and slashing at the knuckles. The creature withdrew its hand, and the dark pool dissolved. The creature then dropped to its knees, wrapped its arm around itself, and gathered energy into the heart-shaped hole in its torso. Weiss charged the creature, only to be knocked off her feet when its arms suddenly came swinging and it threw its head back, unleashing dark projectiles from the heart-shaped hole in its torso. The heiress didn't notice the projectiles until all three hit their mark. Then it released the second wave, which bounced off a Glyph. The first shattered against the platform, the second flew into the void, and the third exploded in the creature's face, eliciting a roar of pain as it unleashed a barrage of seven. Weiss, realizing the creature's weakness, broke into a run, conjuring Glyphs to serve as platforms as she dodged the final barrage and the creature rose back to its feet. As soon as she was level with the creature's head, she propelled herself onto one final Glyph, leveled herself with its face, held her sword next to her head so the blade was pointed between the giant's eyes, and shot forward like a bullet out of a gun. Unfortunately for Weiss, her sword vanished midjump, leaving her completely caught off guard when the giant headbutted her out of the air. Weiss' Aura flashed both on the initial impact and when her body hit the ground. The heiress struggled to push herself off the ground, only to see the monster's titanic fist flying straight for her. Letting out a scream, the Huntress-in-training threw her hands out in front of her to conjure a Glyph. The strike shattered the Glyph and knocked the wind out of Weiss' lungs as her Aura flickered out, a pool of darkness forming under her body._

But don't be afraid _, the voice repeated as Weiss' broken body sank into the darkness, the giant raising its fist,_ For you hold the mightiest weapon of all.

_Weiss struggled against the darkness as her arms and legs were pulled under._

So don't forget:

_Weiss tried to scream for help as her torso disappeared into the pool of shadows, only for her mouth to soon follow._

You are the one who will open the door.

_The last thing Weiss saw were the giant's yellow, piercing eyes, before the darkness fully claimed her._

_And then, oblivion._

_**FWEEEEET!** _

Weiss screamed and fell out of bed as Ruby giggled and pocketed her whistle.

"Rise and shine, sleepy head!" the caped girl announced as Weiss grumbled, "Time to wake up and wash up!"

" _What the heck, Ruby?!_ " Weiss shouted as Zwei hopped off of Blake's bed to greet the girl who spoiled him rotten when his humans weren't watching.

"Professor Ozpin wanted to talk to us, remember?" Yang explained from the door as Weiss scratched the Rose/Xiao Long family corgi behind the ear, "He said he wanted to give us a more 'mundane' mission with Professor Port so we don't have 'unrealistic expectations' for what being a Huntress usually entails. Did you seriously forget that?"

"... Of course not," Weiss lied, recalling how she had been dead on her feet when the headmaster had spoken with them, "Where's Blake?"

"Up here," a voice announced, Weiss and Zwei both looked up to Yang's bed, and the black-haired Faunus yelped and ducked out of sight when she noticed the corgi had also seen her.

"... So you can handle Beowolves, but this _cute wittle puppy_ is too much for you?" Weiss asked as she hugged the corgi to her chest.

"That's not a puppy, it's a hellhound!" Blake protested.

"Girls, focus!" Ruby cut in, "Professor Ozpin has a job for us, and we need to seriously get moving if we want to get to his office in time, now let's go!"

"I still need to get dressed!" Weiss protested.

"Then step on it princess! We've got a job to do!" Ruby ordered. Weiss pushed herself to her feet (much to Zwei's displeasure), and grabbed her uniform from her drawer before dashing for the bathroom for her shower.

"This is going to be a long day," Weiss muttered as she closed the bathroom door behind her.

.

As she went through her morning routine, however, Weiss couldn't help but notice that her strange dream wasn't fading from her memory.

 _It felt so real_ , Weiss thought as she put her hair into a side-ponytail, _Why do I still remember it so clearly?_

Those thoughts plagued her all the way to the headmaster's office, and little did she know, her nightmare was only beginning.

_**RWBY** _

**Golden-Eyed Eclipse**


	2. Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. I had writer's block like you wouldn't believe. Still, here's the next exciting installment in Weiss Schnee's increasingly bizarre week.

Beacon was one of four academies where aspiring Huntsmen and Huntresses trained to earn their licenses. It was a prestigious academy, resembling a castle, with the highest tower being the CCT Tower that connected the Kingdom of Vale to the rest of the world. Just beneath the transmitter of Beacon Tower was the Headmaster's office, where our story begins.

* * *

[ **~Remnant~** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTUuhjo6aQE)

* * *

"While it would seem as though last week's White Fang attack ended in failure, I fear that some of our external defenses have been neglected as a result of our search for threats from within," Professor Ozpin started.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, "The hole from the Breach was sealed, and I haven't seen any straggling Grimm in the city since that battle."

"Due to its proximity to the city, and the fact that it's a convenient site for our training exercises, the Emerald Forest has a security network that keeps Grimm from getting too close to the borders of Vale," Ozpin answered, "Outside of keeping travellers safe, the system protects one of the few parts of the city that isn't shielded by natural barriers. If anything happened to them, we'd have a second Breach, one that would be far harder to seal."

"So… What's wrong with the security network?" Yang asked.

"The security network consists of multiple control towers that automate the city's anti-Grimm defenses," Ozpin explained, "One of the control centers has gone offline each day since the Breach, and currently, only the one closest to Vale is functional, if it fails…"

"The entire Northwestern District will be overrun with Grimm," Blake finished.

"Professor Port would ordinarily perform maintenance on the one closest to the city and work his way North," Ozpin continued, "However, with all of the Grimm so close to the city, he's going to need someone to watch his back while repairing the centers further away, in order to box the Grimm in and lure them away from the city limits."

"What about all the soldiers stationed in the city?" Weiss asked, "Shouldn't they move to defend that potential weak point?"

"I suggested the same to General Ironwood," Ozpin answered, "His response was, and I quote, 'we need to deal with the White Fang first'. Professor Goodwitch has volunteered to stand guard at the potential breaching point, but she's only one Huntress, and there will be massive casualties in the time it would take to drive out the Grimm if we don't act fast."

"Don't worry Professor Ozpin, you can count on us!" Ruby replied.

* * *

"You know, when Professor Ozpin said that we'd be giving Professor Port cover, I kinda figured he'd wait for us before heading for the first control centers," Weiss deadpanned as Team RWBY trudged through the Emerald Forest.

"He did say that time was of the essence," Blake remarked.

"No time for complaining, girls!" Ruby shot back, "The Grimm could be around any corner and irritation gets their attention!"

"So what's the plan, fearless leader?" Yang asked.

"The nearest control center is that way!" Ruby announced as she pointed ahead with Crescent Rose, "Just follow my lead and be prepared for battle!"

It wasn't long until they came across the first control center. It was a short, white, mechanical pillar, and Professor Port was standing on top of it to fire blasts of flame out of _Blowhard_ and into the horde of Grimm gathering around himt.

"There you are!" he announced, "And here I was worrying that I'd run out of Grimm before you'd get the chance to face a few!"

"That's a lot of Grimm," Yang remarked.

"I'm the fastest, so I'll try to get their attention and draw them away from the control center," Ruby announced, "Weiss, Blake, you two will need to take care of the Grimm that stick to the command center! Yang, I'll need you to watch my back. Got it?'

"Got it!"

Ruby smirked, then used her Semblance to dash into the branches of a tree. She loaded Fire Rounds into Crescent Rose, pointed it at the largest Grimm she could see (an Alpha Beowolf), and pulled the trigger. A fireball exploded against the Alpha Beowolf's armored head, and it turned to the trees with a growl. Ruby feigned fear as a dozen or so Beowolves broke off to chase after her. Ruby fired a Gravity Round to propel herself into the treeline, exploding one of the Beowolves' heads.

_Ka-click._

_BOOM!_

Yang propelled herself into the closest Beowolf, knocking it off its feet. It turned to snarl at Yang, only for an explosive round to blow its head apart. Professor Port blew off another Grimm's head as he jumped down, lodging the blade of his ax in a different Grimm's head, while Blake took potshots at another Grimm's head.

"Lots of Grimm seem to be losing their heads today," Port commented as Weiss decapitated an Ursa.

"You do whatever you need to!" Weiss commented as she used a Glyph to ramp a Boarbatusk into the air before hopping off another to skewer it's underbelly, "We've got this under control!"

"Not yet you don't," Professor Port replied as he lodged Blowhard into a Beowolf's shoulder, fired a shot into an Ursa's face to pull it free, and then decapitated both Grimm with two swift swings.

The Alpha Beowolf howled to get the attention of the Grimm chasing Ruby, realizing the ruse, only for a cloud of petals to hit it's back and a silver blade to hook it's midsection.

"Feels like I hit a gap in the armor," Ruby remarked as she pulled the trigger on _Crescent Rose_. The blade of her scythe was pulled through the Alpha, chopping it in two, and propelled her back into the pack chasing after her. "Time to clear out Yang!" she shouted.

_Ka-click._

_BOOM!_

Yang and several Beowolves went flying into the air as Ruby hacked and slashed through the pack, sending Beowolf pieces and discarded shells flying through the air. Yang propelled herself into the intact Beowolves, punching them apart with explosive rounds as an Ursa started charging Blake.

"Bees Schnees!" the Faunus shouted. A Gravity Glyph materialized around the Ursa's hindlegs, holding it in place as Blake tossed her weapon at Yang, holding onto _Gambol Shroud_ 's ribbon. Yang caught the hilt of the blade as Blake swung her towards the Ursa. Yang threw a punch at the top of the Ursa's head as she let go of _Gambol Shroud_ , bouncing off as an explosive round caved the Grimm in, and then did a backflip just for flourish. Blake smiled warmly at the sight, seemingly not noticing Beowolf and Boarbatusk lunging at her. So the two Grimm were caught off guard when the girl they were lunging at exploded into flames, sending both flying, the Beowolf into the blade of _Gambol Shroud_ , while the Boarbatusk was stuck on its back as Blake stabbed her scabbard into its belly. The Boarbatusk disintegrated as the Beowolf struggled, only for Yang to rocket into it and blow it apart with a flurry of punches.

"Excellent work team!" Ruby announced as the last Grimm faded and the Control Center booted back up, "Now all we have to do is repeat that… How many of these are there again?"

"You'll see Miss Rose," Professor Port replied, "Now, keep your wits about you, that Alpha couldn't have been the only Elder, and the others are bound to send their underlings our way! This will be a story to share with your grandchildren if you don't die horribly!" he led the group towards the next control center as a robed figure materialized in the shadows. "Seriously, don't die horribly, that'll make an awkward PTA meeting."

"This is the best Ozpin has to offer?" the figure remarked, "Hmmph, looks like he's no more of a threat to my plans than Salem would be… But if that Faunus discovers the power sleeping within her…" he waved one of his arms, and a shadow peeled off the ground and opened it's glowing, golden eyes. "Follow them, and ready an ambush at the last control center. I'll seek out a more suitable vessel. Perhaps the general…" He faded away without a trace as the shadow sank back into the ground.

* * *

As it turned out, clearing out the Grimm around the Control Centers was a somewhat repetitive process, [but not without its highlights.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mmL-4XsjyY)

* * *

"Little help here!" Blake shouted as she fired potshots at the Boarbatusk rolling straight at her.

"I've got you!" Weiss shouted as she rotated the Lightning Dust Cylinder into position, causing lightning to dance around her blade, "You _might_ want to use the Grimm as a shield though…" Blake's eyes widened as Weiss swung her sword into the air, sending an electric arc through the air towards her. Blake activated her Semblance to dodge, and the Boarbatusk struck a copy. The copy dissipated into electricity, paralyzing the Grimm, and the creature popped like a balloon when the electric arc collided with its body.

"Couldn't you have waited until I had used my Semblance?" Blake remarked as she walked up to Weiss.

"In hindsight, that _probably_ would've been smarter," Weiss admitted, "Sorry."

Blake sighed, and a Nevermore screeched.

"Think you could give me a boost?" she asked.

Weiss smirked and conjured a Glyph. Blake hopped on, and was propelled into the air towards the Nevermore, switching _Gambol Shroud_ into chain scythe mode mid-flight.

* * *

The blade of Crescent Rose stabbed into the back of the Nevermore's neck.

"Consider yourself grounded!" Ruby shouted. She pulled the trigger, and held it down, letting the Gravity Rounds propel her blade down the Nevermore's spine until she had gone across the entire length of the Grimm, watching it disintegrate beneath her, she smirked at the crowd of Grimm amassing on the ground as she fell, firing Gravity Rounds to slow her descent, bouncing in the air with each shot, before activating her Semblance and dashing for the closest Grimm.

* * *

Yang activated her Semblance as she punched the ground, causing a shockwave that launched the surrounding Beowolves into the air.

_Ka-click!_

_BOOM!_

Yang launched herself into the torso of an airborne Bewolf.

_BOOM!_

She bounced off and propelled her fist into another one's lower jaw.

_BOOM!_

She delivered a back-breaking kick to a third Beowolf.

_BOOM!_

If not for the fact that the Grimm were soulless killing machines, one might be tempted to call Yang cruel for punching off a Beowolf's head with a laugh.

* * *

The sun neared the horizon as Professor Port tended to the final control center. Scattered Grimm pieces disintegrated as Team RWBY took a moment to catch their breath.

"I don't think I've had to push myself that hard since the Breach," Ruby weezed.

"If there's any Grimm left in the forest, I'll be shocked," Yang remarked.

"Oh there are _definitely_ more Grimm in this forest," Professor Port chimed in, "It's just that a large number of them were concentrated in this area. It'll probably be a couple of weeks before the Grimm population completely recovers."

"It could be worse," Blake remarked, "There could've been security drones trying to herd us into the Grimm, that's never fun." Weiss laughed dryly, then noticed a black shape moving behind her leader.

"Ruby, BEHIND YOU!" Weiss shoved Ruby out of the way and stabbed the black shape, and her eyes widened when she saw a familiar head and golden eyes.

"The creature from my dream!" Weiss and Blake shouted in unison as the Grimm-like creature was punctured by _Myrtenaster_ , "Wait, _your dream?_ "

"Gawk later!" Ruby ordered as more creatures emerged from the shadows around them, "We have company!"

Weiss charged as the creature she had skewered evaporated, and attempted to decapitate the closest creature, only for it to sink into the shadows.

_BOOM!_

_BOOM!_

"They're completely invincible when they're flat!" Yang announced.

"Just don't let them touch the ground!" Ruby ordered as she launched a few into the air with a Gravity round and hacked and slashed through them with _Crescent Rose_.

"They can't attack while they're flattened," Blake observed, before bursting into flames and incinerating a few of the unlucky creatures that jumped out to attack her, the real Blake taking potshots at the still-burning survivors from a distance, "It might be wise to adopt a more defensive strategy."

No sooner had she said this than the creatures flattened themselves back into the shadows and converged in the center of the battlefield. Suddenly, more shadows emerged from the treeline and joined the others, and the clump of shadows got darker, and darker, [until it became what appeared to be a swirling whirlpool of darkness](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEu9N7xLFQM). Then, golden eyes opened in the dark miasma, and the creatures shot out of the shadows, now clumped together into some kind of [swirling tower](https://www.khwiki.com/images/4/4d/Demon_Tower_KH0.2.png).

"... Okay, I did not see that coming," Ruby admitted, "Professor Port! How's the defense system coming!"

"It's operational but… That's odd," he observed as the defenses took out an unfortunate Nevermore, "It's registering the Grimm just fine, but these new creatures don't seem to register as Grimm!"

"Looks like we're gonna have to topple this Demon Tower the old-fashioned way!" Yang announced.

"Yes, let's… Demon Tower?" Weiss commented.

"Fight now, name later!" Ruby shouted as she charged at the "Demon Tower". She hooked it on _Crescent Rose_ , only for the momentum of the swirling creatures to spin her around and launch her into the trees, "Ow… Why is this so familiar?" The eyes of the creature's comprising the Demon Tower turned red, and it threw itself at Ruby.

"Oh no you don't!" Weiss shouted as she conjured a Glyph between the creature and Ruby. The Demon Tower's creatures splashed against the Glyph and scattered through the battlefield.

"Now! Before they hit the ground!" Blake shouted as she swung _Gambol Shroud_ through the air by its ribbon, firing several gunshots as the blade of her chain scythe cut through the creatures, her ribbon tugging on the trigger to keep it firing into the crowd of creatures. Yang fired several shots into the swarm as Weiss launched a few fireballs with her Semblance, and Professor Port stepped away from the tower to swing _Blowhard_ through any creatures unfortunate enough to fly too close to him.

The creatures lucky enough to land, meanwhile, sank back into the shadows, and seconds later reemerged as a complete Demon Tower once more.

"Hurry! Before it balances itself!" Ruby shouted as she grabbed _Crescent Rose_ and shifted it into rifle mode. Ruby, Blake, and Professor Port opened fire, sending bullets and fireballs into the swirling mass as Weiss charged a lightning attack. Yang, meanwhile, rocketed forward, hair alight and eyes red, and threw a punch into the mass of creatures, punching an explosive bullet directly into the creature as Weiss was forced to change the trajectory of her swing to avoid hitting Yang, causing the arc of lightning to miss the Demon Tower and hit the control center instead. Professor Port cursed and rushed back to the control center as it shorted out.

"What are you doing?!" Weiss snapped.

"I'm trying to topple it!" Yang snapped back, not noticing that the Demon Tower's eyes had turned red.

"Yang! Get away from the-" Ruby was cut off as the Demon Tower whirled around and swatted Yang aside. Ruby switched to Gravity Rounds and fired a shot behind her to propel herself towards the Demon Tower as it lunged at Yang. Yang rocketed out of the way as Ruby slashed through the Demon Tower, firing Gravity Rounds to pull the blade through the mass. The Demon Tower, as before, collapsed and reformed. Ruby yelped and used Petal Burst to Dash away when the eyes turned red, Yang rocketing after the cloud of petals.

"We need to hold it in place!" Weiss shouted as she swung her sword, sending a cutting slice of icy wind at the Demon Tower. The whirling mass of shadowy bodies broke through the ice with little effort.

"I don't think small ice rounds are gonna suffice," Blake commented.

Ruby gasped.

"ICE FLOWER!"

Weiss rushed to Ruby's side and conjured three Freeze Glyphs in front of Ruby as she switched Crescent Rose into rifle mode. The Demon Tower's eyes turned red as it wound up to lash out again.

_CRACK!_

_CRACK!_

_CRACK!_

Three freeze rounds flew through the glyphs, one impacting the base, the other top, and the last the midpoint, encasing the entire body in ice. Ice that soon began to crack.

"BUMBLEBEE!"

Blake tossed _Gambol Shroud_ to Yang. She then swung the ribbon of her chain scythe with all her strength,throwing Yang at the frozen Demon Tower. Yang grinned as her eyes turned red and her hair ignited, throwing a punch as she flew into the center of the frozen mass.

_**BOOM!** _

The Demon Tower exploded, its component creatures sent flailing through the air.

"CHECKMATE CLOCK OUT!" Ruby ordered, before dispersing into petals and flying to the other side of the flailing creatures, hacking and slashing through a few with Crescent Rose as Yang took a few potshots herself.

Weiss used Lightning Dust to form a Time Dilation Glyph under Blake's feet. The world around Blake slowed to a crawl. She swung her ribbon around, propelling _Gambol Shroud_ through the failing creatures' bodies with recoil from the resulting gunshots. When time returned to normal, most of the creatures evaporated.

The few surviving creatures sank into the shadows and retreated into the treeline, vanishing into the darkness.

"Excellent work on stopping those monsters, girls!" Professor Port praised, "Unfortunately, this last tower was shorted out by that stray lightning blast. I'll have to come back to repair it another day."

"Smooth move Ice Queen," Yang remarked. Weiss, Ruby, _and_ Blake turned to glare at the brawler as Professor Port facepalmed. "What?"

"The only reason I missed is because you ran into our line of fire and I had to avoid hitting you," Weiss remarked.

"My Semblance gets charged by damage, remember?" Yang replied.

"Should I take that as permission to attack you during the tournament, then?" Weiss asked.

"That's enough, you two!" Ruby cut in, "Professor, why didn't those creatures register as Grimm?"

"Because whatever they were, those weren't Grimm," Professor Port replied, "We need to debrief Ozpin. I fear that dark times may be approaching."

* * *

[ **** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs9Yv5HuxHg)

* * *

Donald Duck, the court magician of his Majesty the King, waddled down the hall to the King's audience chamber, tipping his hat to a few of the animated Brooms. At the center of the hall stood a large set of double doors. Donald knocked on the doors, and opened the much smaller and more practically sized door built into them.

"Good morning, your Majesty," Donald greeted as he entered the audience chamber, "It's nice to see you this morn-" The King's throne was empty. " _What?!_ " The King's loyal pet, Pluto, stuck his head out from behind the throne, an envelope with the King's seal in his jaws. Donald took and opened the letter, his panic growing with each and every sentence.

The brooms jolted as Donald burst out of the throne room, wings flailing as he rushed to the gardens, his panicked quacking growing quieter as he ran farther away.

Donald weaved between the topiaries in the castle's gardens, until he finally came upon the captain of the guard's sleeping form.

"Wake up, Goofy! Wake up!" the mage ordered, "This is serious!"

The knight slumbered on.

Donald cast Thunder, bringing a bolt of lightning down on the sleeping knight.

"WOAH!" Goofy jolted awake, "Hey there, Donald! G'morning!"

"We've got a problem, Goofy!" Donald cut in before glancing left and right, "But don't tell anyone…"

"Queen Minnie?" Goofy commented.

"Not even the queen!" Donald insisted.

"Daisy?"

"NO!" Donald shouted, "It's top secret!"

"Good morning ladies!"

Donald froze, and glanced over his shoulder, chuckling nervously as he noticed Queen Minnie and Lady Daisy were standing right there, both looking completely unamused.

* * *

"Does anyone else find it weird that Adam's only problem with the Atlesian Army's increased presence in the Kingdom was how most of the soldiers are machines?" Emerald asked as Cinder checked her scroll, "You'd think he wouldn't be too happy about having his most powerful enemies so close."

"Adam's bloodlust is what drove him to align with us," Cinder answered, "Men like him are easily swayed when you dangle their deepest desires in front of them."

"There's also the threat of death if he stepped out of line," Mercury remarked, "I'll _never_ forget the look on his face when you slaughtered his guys!"

Neo rolled her eyes and went back to reading her book, repeatedly going over the best way to infiltrate an Atlesian Flagship.

["This world has been connected."](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSn2AlZpsJ4)

Emerald and Mercury jumped to their feet as Neo used her "Overactive Imagination" to hide the fact that she was no longer reading.

"Tied to the darkness."

Cinder reached for a vial of Magma Dust as the shadows in the room formed into a vaguely humanoid shape.

"Soon to be completely eclipsed," the shape finished as it turned into a hooded figure.

"Who do you think you are?" Cinder asked.

"A meaningless effort," the figure replied, "One who knows nothing can understand _nothing_." Emerald jumped forwards, only for the figure to blur as she passed through him.

"The Hell?"

"One of the advantages of my current state of being," the hooded figure remarked, "You cannot harm me."

"Care to bet?" Cinder asked as she called upon her piece of the Fall Maiden's power, conjuring a flame in the palm of her hand and raising it to the hooded figure's face. Or rather, where the hooded figure's face should have been. Instead of illuminating the figure's face, it revealed that the tattered robes were empty save for the dark wisps that took on a semi-solid shape within them. "What?"

"So, you've managed to claim a piece of the Maiden's power…" the hooded figure observed, "By combing your flesh with that of a Grimm." The figure chuckled. "You're either very brave…" Cinder cried out in pain and dropped to her knees as the markings on her back burned, the essence of the Grimm bending to the will of the hooded figure. "... Or suicidally stupid."

"What are you?" Cinder asked, fear creeping into her voice.

"I'm a simple businessman," the hooded figure replied as he released his hold on the Grimm inside Cinder's body, "And your only hope of cutting the strings Salem has bound you with, by training you in the power that rules Salem's heart, the power of _darkness_."

"Really?" Cinder remarked, "Did you seriously come here just to discuss philosophy?"

"Darkness is the essence of all hearts, and the Grimm are animated by it," the hooded figure explains, "It is through its power that Salem is able to command the Grimm, and if you master it, you'll be able to wrest the control of the Grimm away from her."

"And how do I know you're not bluffing?" Cinder asked.

"Because I've done it myself," the hooded figure answered, "Both in this very room mere moments ago, and decades ago in Mountain Glenn." That piqued all of their interests.

"So that city was your handiwork?" Cinder asked.

"It cost me a fortune, but as you can see," the hooded figure motioned at himself, "I've long ago transcended such petty needs."

"Well, if you're a businessman, then what price do you expect me to pay for your training?" Cinder asked.

"... I'm looking for a door," the hooded figure answered, "Once the door has opened, even Salem will bow before your power." Cinder grinned.

"Okay, I'm in," she replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Who all wants to try and guess at what's happening in this story? Because if you know your Kingdom Hearts and RWBY lore, I've dropped a ton of hints into some of the changes to both universe's timelines in this chapter. Regardless, the next thing I'll upload will probably be either a collection of omakes based off of this fanfic or the next chapter of "A Girl and Her Bike", whichever turns out to be easier to write.  
> I look forward to receiving your feedback!

**Author's Note:**

> I was originally going to base the prologue after "a fragmentary passage" but then decided "Nah, let's stick to just the first game for now and go from there".  
> And don't worry guys, I have a plan. You might not like my plan, but I'll be cackling maniacally the entire time.  
> Weiss was a joy to write here, and it feels great writing all of Team RWBY together in that end section, but we all know what typically happens to friend groups in Kingdom Hearts.  
> Next time, we'll be kicking off the adventure for real in "Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End".  
> I'll see you then.


End file.
